Samson, Bo and me in Savannah

Free the Zombies

I had passport photos taken today. My passport expires in October, and Lorin and I might be going out of the country this year. You never know. I made sure my hair was washed, and my face was made-even adding eyeliner underneath the lid, which I usually forego. It would be a good passport photo. I was wrong.

To me this screams, “Just Sentenced to Gulag” or “10 Years Hard Labor.”

Anyway, after hiding the photos in the zippered portion of my wallet and walking back to the office, I realized how much healthier and happier I looked in my photo from 2005. It helped that I had some color in my cheeks, and I think I had recently returned from vacation. And I was smiling. That always helps.

We often read about preserves and parks to save various species who have been enslaved by the circus or been lab animals all their lives. These animals deserve their freedom and a modicum of happiness. We all do!

We also need to recognize the Caged Zombie, aka office worker, who needs sunlight, fresh air, and perhaps, even a pool to splash in. Would it be so hard to provide this?

Granted, we get vacation time, but sometimes we don’t have adequate funds to travel, or things are too busy at the office for us to leave. What would be the harm in providing us– free of charge–a few weeks of freedom, out of our usual surroundings, away from the grueling commute that gradually transforms us from humans into zombies. Would it be too much to ask?

Mine would be at the Grand Waileia in Maui. I wouldn’t think about anything, I would swim over to my favorite restaurant for a shrimp lunch, I would call down for room service in the evening. I wouldn’t have to leave the hotel.

I retired last September but fire drills were such joy that I continue to have them. I rigged an ear splitting alarm to a series of white strobe lights and wired it all to a random timer. Now my wife, myself, the cats and Scooter can all march single file out into the snow and wait shivering by the pond until we get the “all clear” to head back into the house. It is such fun!